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I'm looking at the plan for a house that lists the 2nd floor as 325 square feet.
The dimensions are 14' x 20'9". That includes stairs, closet, everything.
You change that into square feet and you get 294.
So where's the missing 29 square feet? Can they just make up a number like that? Doesn't what they state on their plans and marketing product have to actually be true?
Is there some state agency that monitors this sort of thing?
Let me think. A 4in difference in wall thickness on an 18x18 room would be. Wait, I know I can do this. About 14.3 sq ft.
...I think. Use them 2x6's wall studs some rave about and you now have about 17.75 sq ft difference. Wait. I forgot about the thickness of the siding. Nevermind.
I'm looking at the plan for a house that lists the 2nd floor as 325 square feet.
The dimensions are 14' x 20'9". That includes stairs, closet, everything.
You change that into square feet and you get 294.
So where's the missing 29 square feet? Can they just make up a number like that? Doesn't what they state on their plans and marketing product have to actually be true?
Is there some state agency that monitors this sort of thing?
LOL
14 x 20.75 = 290.5 not 294
Perhaps you can be in charge of the Department of Housing Dimensions .
Certified General Appraiser here. Single family homes are measured from the OUTSIDE as davebarnes said. Trust me, I've measured about 15,000 of them. Attached condos, on the other hand, are usually referred to in the legal description as "airspace" condos. In that case you measure to the interior walls. Now, in answer to your initial question, the plans were initially submitted to the city and represent what the builder INTENDED to build. Frequently, the plans will change during construction and I don't know for sure whether there is a rule about them communicating the changes to the city (I'm not a builder). I do know that I have done MANY homes over the years which were different in size as compared to the plans or public records. This is the explanation I've always gotten from the builders. Plans change.
Had a square footage issue that went in my favor. Builder submitted a model floor plan to the city for so many sq ft. An option was a finished room over the garage (FROG). I ordered the FROG but no one notified the city of the increased (350) square footage. Come time to sell it was discovered. I had plans/brochures from the developer so I explained it to the buyer. I said to the buyer feel free to notify the city......LOL
Also sometimes something as simple as an added bay window or punching a television niche into the rafters can add an additional 25 square feet into a space. You are also not supposed to count eave/rafter space lower than 5' in upper floors.
Another thing to be wary of is square footage 'under roof' or 'covered square footage' which is obviously larger than actual square footage.
I actually bought my first condo because it was the only one in the complex listing the correct square footage. The others were counting a porch & when I asked the realtor sh said sometimes its just layout/yada-yada/so forth and we looked at that one to determine how it could be different. It wasn't but it had a view of march we had not realized was at the back of the complex. If not for wondering the real size we would not have even viewed it.
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